Joe Letteri insists the title for the final instalment of ‘The Hobbit’ had to be changed.
The visual effects artist – who is known for his work on films including ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ – claims director Peter Jackson made the right decision in changing the name of the final instalment of the epic fantasy trilogy.
Following on from ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ and ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’, the third in the series was originally going to be named ‘The Hobbit: There and Back Again’ but was altered earlier this year to ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’.
Quizzed on whether he felt the new title was a better fit for the concluding chapter, Letteri said: "Yeah because it is the climax, and you really just need to know that there is another battle for Middle-earth."
‘The Hobbit’ serves as a prequel to ‘The Lord of the Rings’ – both of which were written by J.R.R. Tolkien and adapted into films by Jackson – and Letteri thinks the new title better demonstrates that.
He told Collider: "The whole extension of The Hobbit’s story has really been to get us to the point where we understand when we leave it what’s going to happen when you pick up the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy, and this really does kind of set that tone."
When asked whether the battle will be the highlight of all six films, Letteri added: "We hope so, that’s the whole idea … It’s got to give you the sense that if it isn’t won, there is no ‘Lord of the Rings’."
‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’ is slated for worldwide release in December 2014.
Joe Letteri agrees with rename of the final Hobbit film
